Europe Day 2014: Launching Ceremony of Information Week

20 May 2014

Opening Ceremony at Gyumri Information Technologies Centre

On 17 May the launch ceremony of Europe Day Information Week took place in Gyumri, Shirak region, at the Gyumri Information Technologies Centre. This first day of celebrations included several informational, educational and entertainment events for young people in the town.
Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Traian Hristea and the Ambassadors of several European countries opened the celebrations: ‘It is an honour for us to have you and our colleagues from member states here. This is a wonderful opportunity to show how we are managing to overcome all the differences that we have experienced during the course of history,’ said Hristea.
On 9 May 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented a declaration that proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the members of which would pool coal and steel production. It was a difficult period for Europe, as countries were still struggling to overcome the devastation wrought by the Second World War, which had ended 5 years earlier. Schuman urged countries to unite in order to be able to survive. The ECSC was the first of a series of supranational European institutions that would ultimately become today’s “European Union”.
Hristea spoke about the EU today and its relationship with Armenia: ‘All around the world people want to have what we have in Europe: democratic government, freedom, the rule of law and active civil society. These are all factors which lead to a proper lifestyle for the citizens of our member states.’
‘2014 is a special year for the EU, as it marks the 10-year anniversary of when 10 new members joined our family. This shows how much we are concerned about including new countries. Europe Day is a celebration not only in the EU but also in neighbourhood countries. The EU is determined to help its neighbours in reaching prosperity and sustainability.’
‘The EU and Armenia are collaborating within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, which is aimed at developing and promoting further collaboration in all fields of bilateral interest.’
‘Today we are glad to offer you a set of wonderful events as part of the Europe Information Week: you can meet the projects funded by the EU and its member states, participate in discussions, film screenings, and an open space discussion. This is an event for all Armenian citizens, but we specifically want to appeal to youth, for whom we have organised an open space debate. Young people are present and future of our countries, and I would like to encourage them to be active citizens every day’
Hristea also expressed the hope that all participants involved in the events would use the chance to learn something new about Europe. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, His Excellency Reiner Morell, also talked about the bright future of projects organised within the framework of EU-Armenia collaboration. He said that the fact that a decision was made to organise an opening ceremony for Europe Day Information Week in Gyumri was vivid proof of the EU’s presence in the regions and determination to develop relations.

Open space discussion with youth

Following the introduction to Europe Day events, an open space discussion was launched at the Gyumri Technological Centre with the participation of town’s youth. The goal of the discussion was to give young people an opportunity to express their view on the EU and EU-Armenia relations in an interactive way. During the discussion, participants were split into several groups and given specific tasks.
The Head of the Gyumri Technological Centre, Misak Gharagyozyan, greeted participants and expressed his appreciation for the initiative being held at the centre and more generally in Gyumri. Ambassador Traian Hristea echoed Gharaogyozyan, stating that the organisation of such an event outside Yerevan was a brilliant way to celebrate the concept of EU enlargement: ‘You [the participants] represent the future of this country; this is why it is crucial for us to involve you in these events. I kindly invite you to start the discussion. I am convinced that this kind of discussions will promote EU-Armenia cooperation and our mutual interests’.

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